Bottle carrier



June 27, 1967 R. A.cARl.E ETAL 3,327,885

BOTTLECARRIER Filed Oct. 6, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O3,327,885 BTILlE CARRIER Robert A. Carle and William A. Keene,Bartlesville, Okla., assignors to Phillips Petroleum Company, acorporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 461,914

9 Claims. (Cl. 22021) This application relates to a carryin-g case forbottles and similar articles. In one of its aspects, it relates to anopen top container suitable for carrying a plurality of articles or ofpacks of articles. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to acontainer, for carrying a plurality of separate articles such asbottles. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a containerwhich is provided with a removable insert. In still another of itsaspects, the invention relates to a container having a removable insertwhich insert has upstanding article positioning guides on the uppersurface of the insert. In still another aspect, the invention relates toa carrying case that can be formed in one piece by vacuum molding orblow molding. In still another aspect, the invention relates to aninsert for separating and positioning articles to be carried whichinsert is formed by vacuum or blow molding.

The marketing of beverages, particularly soft drinks, to the Americanconsumer has undergone vast c-hanges in recent years. These changes arestill going on and additional changes in marketing practices are to beexpected. At one time soft drinks were available to the consumer asindividual drinks sold at a soda fountain, or in case lots of 24bottles. This has now been changed and most bottle-rs make available tothe public smaller sized units where 6, 8 or l2 bottles may be packed ina single container. The bottlers also make available the conventionalcase of 24 bottles.

For the industry as a whole, bottled soft drinks are now sold in theratio of approximately 1/2 in the smaller sized packages and 1/2 in thelarger 24 bottle cases. The proportion sold in either one of thecategories is subject to change at the whim of the ultimate consumer. Abottler who has been marketing a majority of his product in the 24bottle case may be confronted rather suddenly with a change in demand ofthe smaller six-pack, eightpack, or l2-pack containers. This haspresented something of a problem in the past for the reason that thecarrying casesuitable for the 24-bottle sales was not also suitable forthe handling and sale of the 6, 8, and l2 pack cont'ainers. Accordingly,it has been necessary for bottlers to maintain an adequate stock ofcontainers of both types. A container can be partitioned to hold 24individual bottles, or a container of the same outside dimensionswithout partitions can be utilized to hold four 6-packs, three 8-packs,or two 12-packs. However, because of, the partitions the containers arenot interc-hangeable. Thus, with any change in demand the bottler mustadjust his supply of suitable containers in accordance with the presentmarketing practice.

It is apparent from the foregoing that a universal container that issuitable for either of the two types of uses will -greatly simplify themarketing problems of the bottler.

. Bottle carrying cases are subjected to rough handling and continuoususe. Because of recent advances in the marketing of soft drinks insupermarkets and other stores,

an attractive appearance is a necessity. The container,

should have a long li-fe expectancy and should be easily cleaned, as bywashing. To this end, it is desirable that the container be of amaterial not harmed by water or detergents and that it be of aconfiguration such that the free flow of washing fluids is not impeded.The container ice should be suitable for use with automatic machinery inthe bottling plant, it should be suitable for stacking and intermixingwith other types of cases and desirab'ly will be of the same outsidedimensions so that it may be intermixed on conveyor belts and on handtrucks and forklift trucks such as are in common use.

Accordingly, it is an object of our invention to provide a universalcarrying case for bottles or the like which carrying case is adapted tocarry articles separately or in groups. It is another object of theinvention to provide a hollow outer shell which is adapted to receivegroups of articles and to receive an insert whereby single articles canbe carried in spatially separated relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a universal ca-rrying casehaving a hollow shell adapted to receive groups of articles or separatearticles in spaced relation which articles are secured in said shell bya cover having article top locating means.

These and other objects, will become apparent from a consideration ofthe following description, the drawing and the appended claims.

According to the present invention, there is provided an outer case orshell and an insert. The insert is provided with a plurality of-upstanding guides or positioning means which serve to keep separate thebottles when the container is used to carry individual bottles. Removalof t-he insert converts the container to a carrying case for 6-pack,8-pack or 12-pack assemblies.

Other aspects, objects and the several advantages of the invention areapparent from a study of this disclosure, the appended claims, and thedrawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the outer case or shell of the bottlecarrier of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of an insert for use in the shell ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a carrier showing the insert in theshell;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom view of the shell of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 5 is a bottom view of the insert of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 is a modied form of the carrier having a. top cove-r.

Referring to the gures, there is shown in FIGURE 1` 10 is also providedwith a top surface or rim 15 extendingA around the periphery of theshell. Depending downwardly from rim 15 is a lip or flange 16 whichserves to stiiTen the upper surface as well as the entire hollow shellstructure of the carrier.

Shell 10 may be formed as a unitary structure by blow molding or vacuummolding techniques. In the blow molding operation, a tube or parison ofa suitable plastic material, such as rigid polyethylene, is extrudeddownwardly. A pair of mold sections are positioned below the extruderand are separated to allow the parison to descend into the Iopen spacebetween the mold sections. When a sufficient length of the moltenparison has been extruded, the mold sections are brought together andair under pressure is admitted to the interior of Vthe molten parison.The air inates the parison to conform to the inner sur face of the moldto convert the parison to a hollow closed shell of substantially uniformwall thickness. Upon contacting the inner surfaces 'of the rnold, themolten thermoplastic is rapidly cooled and assumes its finalconfiguration. The mold may be shaped so that the outer edges meet at asharp junction to sever any surplus portion of the parison above orbelow the mold from the completed shell.

A shell formed according to the foregoing process will be subs-tantiallyclosed and can be further processed to make the carrier of the inventionby removing the large depressed area extending across the top of theshell which area joins depending lip or flange 16. Also to be removed,if desired, are hand holes 13 at each end of the carrier.

It is Within the concept of the invention to use instead of a tubularparison, two flat sheets of molten plastic in Which instance the moldsections will pinch together the two sheets of plastic around the entireperiphery of the joined molds. It is also contemplated that the shell 10can be formed by vacuum molding techniques which would diiier from theforegoing only in that vacuum would be applied to the interior of themold sections to draw the molten plastic into engagement therewith andatmospheric .air would be admitted to the interior of the parison. Itdesired, a combination of vacuum molding and blow molding can beemployed. In fact, any arrangement can be used in which a differentialpressure is utilized to iniiate the softened or molten plastic insidethe mold sections.

The carrier just described will have utility for many purposes. Theheight of the sidewall 11 can be adjusted so that articles of many kindsor descriptions can be carried. In many manufacturing operations, totetrays are used to transport loose parts from one area of the plant toanother, or to serve as temporary storage receptacles. The shell 10 isalso eminently suited for use by bottlers of all kinds of beverages andin particular by bottlers of soft drinks. Shell Iii will receive aplurality of smalle-r packages of bottles such as four of theconventional 6-pack containers. It will also accommodate three S-pack ortwo l2-pack containers. Additionally, the carrier can be used to holdbottles placed loosely in the carrier.

Shell 10 can be adapted to hold and position a plurality of articles,such as 24 bottles, in spaced relation by use of the insert depicted inFIGURE 2. The insert, shown generally at 20, is intended to be placedinside .a shell such as shell 10 to position and retain the articles tobe carried in spaced relation. Insert 2t) can be installed or removedreadily and increases the utility of shell It? in that through the useor non-use of insert 20, shell 10 can 4be adapted to a wide variety ofconditions and thus becomes a universal carrier. Insert 2@ can be vacuumformed from a single sheet of material according to well knownprocedure, or it may be blow molded from a tubular parison or a pair ofsheets of plastic. In the blow molding operation, two inserts 20 can beformed at one time and need only be severed `and trimmed to create thefinal product.

The insert of FIGURE 2 will be described with particular lreference toan `insert adapted for use in a carrier where 24 bottles are to becarried. It is within the scope -of the invention to early differentarticles and in greater or lesser number with minor modification of thedescribed structure. As shown in FIGURE 3, insert 20 is provided with abottom or base 21. Upstanding therefrom are .a plurality of positioningelements yor guides 22. As shown, guides 22 are upward projections ofthe base 21 and are cruciform in cross-section. The cruciform nature ofthe guides is also illustrated in FIGURE where the interior of the guideis shown as a cruciform opening in t-he bottom of bas-e 21. Guides 22are placed in the central portion of base 21 .and four such guidescooperate to position and retain a bottle. Each guide 22 is of a heightsufficient to contact a substantial portion of the side of a bottle. Inthe embodiment shown, the height of guides 22 is about the same as theheight of side walls 11 of the carrier. Other heights of guides can beused. The upper portion of guide 22 is tapered or it may be rounded asdesired. The tapering or rounding is provided to facilitate insertion ofthe bottle into the bottle receiving area between the guides. Bottleswhich are tilted at the time of insertion, or which are inserted from anoff-center position will be deected and guided by the tapered portion ofthe guide to the proper position with respect thereto. Guides 22 arealso provided with a straight portion which is substantially vertical,the length of the straight portion being controlled somewhat by thedesired height of the guides as well as the height .and configurati-onof the bottle to be carried. If bottles having a configuration otherthan straightsided are to be handled it usually is desirable that thevertical portion be high enough to contact a bottle at at least twopoints .along its side. If desired, guides 22 may have a configurationother than cruciform. For articles other than bottles anotherconfiguration such as circular, rectangular, triangular, etc. may bebest suited to the article to be carried.

Insert 20 is further provided with upstanding guides 23 arranged aboutits outer periphery. Guides 23 serve the same purpose as guides 22 andmay be a partial cruciform, as shown, or may have relatively flat sides.In either instance guides 23 are provided with .a tapered or roundedupper portion.

Insert 2t) may be dimensioned so as to drop easily into place in shell10. However, it may also be dimensioned so that guides 23 fit under thedownturned lip 16 of shell 10. Alternatively, the insert may be arrangedso that only some of the guides 23 are inserted under lip 16. The insert20, being somewhat ilexible, will be easily forced into position by aslight bending. Where some or all of guides 23 `are positioned under lip16, the same will prevent the insert `from falling out if the carrier isinverted.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of shell 10 and insert 20 showing thepreferred arrangement wherein the top portion of guides 23 lie under andare retained by lip 16.

The insert 20 may have portions cut away as at 2S to conform to inwardprojections in shell 10 and may further be cut away as at 26 to preventbinding at the corners. Additionally, insert 20 may be provided withraise-d portions or turtles 27 centered in each bottle receiving area.The turtles 27 are represented by recesses when viewed from below as inFIGURE 5.I When in carrying position, a bottle will rest on the raisedportion or turtle 27. In some instances, the bottle may not be supwported in such a manner as to make it stable. As is well known, a tripodis a very stable structure because the three legs each contact the floorand there is no tendency of the tripod to tilt. Accordingly, the turtles27 may be shaped in a manner such that a bottle, or other article, willrest on three segments of the raised portion. The three point contactmay be achieved by using extensions or legs Stich as indicated at 28.Three such extensions may be used, or only two. In the latter instancethe two extensions cooperate with a larger segment of the turtle toprovide the desired support.

It has been found, in stacking one filled case upon another, that it issometimes desirable to tilt the outer row of bottles inwardly a smallamount. When such is done the stack of filled cases is more stable.Tilting of the bottle is readily accomplished by the extensions 28. Allthat is required is to make the extensions 28 at the outer edge of theinsert somewhat higher than the other portion of the outer row ofturtles. In this manner a bottle resting thereon will be tilted slightlytoward the center of the carrier.

Insert 20 may also have a plurality of drain holes 29 in the bottomthereof. These will serve to permit any liquid, rain, bottle contents,etc. to drain away. Corresponding drain holes 19 may be placed in thebottom of shell 10 for draining water or other liquid from the shell.

FIGURES 4 and 5 show in detail the outer shell and insert respectively,each viewed from beneath. While the bottom 14 of shell 1t) can be flat,it may also be provided with intersecting channels 41. Channels 41 aredepressions when viewed from below or upward projections When viewedfrom above. These channels serve to stiffen the bottom 14. At eachintersection of channels 41 there are turtles similar to those describedin connection with insert 20. As was true with the turtles of theinsert, turtles 47 may be provided with tilting pads 48. Drain holes 19are located as desired for effective draining of water or other liquidin the shell. Desirably a drain hole 19 will be placed in the samerelative position as each drain hole 29 of the insert as earlierdiscussed.

Bottle carriers are frequently moved about in bottling plants by meansof conveyor belts. Where such belts are used, the conveyors may operatewith inclines to raise or lower the carrier from one level to another.Plastic carriers, being lighter than wooden carriers, will not grip orfrictionally engage the surface of the conveyor belt to the same degreeas a wooden carrier. Additionally, the plastic material itself may havea low coefficient of friction. Accordingly, bottom 14 is provided with aplurality of straight and V-shaped ridges or friction elements.Referring to FIGURE 4, the straight ridges are shown at 45 and theV-shaped ridges at 46. These ridges, or grippers, engage the surface ofthe conveyor to prevent undue slipping on all inclines normallyencountered. While all other features of the bottom of shell may embodyrecessed portions having sloping sides, the ridges or grippers aredesirably made with sharply defined and even angular sides. This is sothat the corners of the grippers can actually dig or bite into thesurface of the conveyor to obtain a better engagement with the conveyorthan would be possible through friction alone.

If desired, the carrier may be provided with a top cover such as the oneillustrated in FIGURE 6. The cover comprises an upper surface 51 whichmay be provided with article or bottle top receiving means or articletop locators 52 which conform to the shape of the top of the article andwhich may be raised portions or depressed portions as desired. As shown,the locators are shaped to conform to the bottle cap of a bottle anddesirably 4are sized to be received in the turtles 47 of an uppercarrier when the `carriers are stacked one above another. Side walls 53may be provided for the cover according to the overall height of thearticle to be carried. For tall articles, the side wall may berelatively wider than for shorter articles. At the lower edge of theside Wall of the cover, curved interlock fingers 54 are provided.Fingers 54 are in any desired number, although at least two will berequired to positively lock the cover in place. The fingers 54 engagethe lower rim or periphery of lip or flange 16 as shown. If desired, aninsert can be used at the same time as the cover, in which event thearticles will be secured in a relatively immobile condition duringhandling and shipment.

Reasonable variation and modification are possible within the scope ofthis disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims, the essence ofwhich is that there is provided a universal carrier that is adaptedthrough use or non-use of an insert and/ or cover to carry a widevariety of articles either as individual articles or as groups ofarticles according to the needs of the user.

We claim:

1. A carrying case for bottles and the like comprising in combination aone-piece molded outer shell having a bottom, side walls, and aninwardly turned lip extending inwardly from said side walls, a removablebottle positioning insert inside said outer shell having a base, aplurality of upwardly projecting post-like portions integral with saidbase, spaced at regular intervals, the upper extremities of saidprojections adjacent the outer edge of said base engaging the undersideof said inwardly turned lip, whereby said insert is retained in saidouter shell.

2. A carrying case according to claim 1 wherein the bottom of the saidshell is further provided with (a) longitudinal and trans-verseintersecting channels constituting upwardly raised projections, saidchannels also serving as stiffeners for the bottom of said shell.

3. A carrying case according to claim 2 wherein the bottom of the saidshell is further provided with (a) enlarged raised portions at theintersections of the said channels, said enlarged portions definingbottle receiving areas.

4. A carrying case according to claim 3 wherein the bottom of the saidshell is further provided with (a) tilting pads constituting radialextensions of those enlarged raised portions adjacent the outer edges ofsaid shell, said tilting pads being adapted to provide a stable supportfor a bottle and to tilt the same slightly toward the center of saidshell.

5. An insert for use in an open top carrier for bottles and the like,said carrier having an inwardly turned lip extending inwardly from theside walls thereof, said insert comprising a base and a plurality ofseparate upwardly projecting portions integral with said base, spaced atregular intervals, the upper extremities of said projections adjacentone edge of said base being positioned relative to the upper extremitiesof upwardly extending projections adjacent the opposite edge of saidbase by a dimension greater than the distance between the innerextremities of opposing portions of said inwardly turned lip and beingat an elevation above said base whereby said upper extremities engagethe underside of said inwardly turned lip on insertion of said insertinto said carrier, thereby retaining said insert in said carrier.

6. The insert of claim 5 wherein said projections adjacent the outeredge of said base are of open coniiguration and the remainder of saidprojections are of closed configuration.

7. The insert of claim 5 wherein said projections define bottlereceiving areas provided with raised portions for supporting the bottomsof bottles to be carried.

8. The insert of claim 7 wherein the said raised portions are furtherprovided with radial extensions whereby a three point support for eachbottle is provided.

9. The insert of claim 8 wherein the said raised portions adjacent theedges of said base are provided with radial extensions somewhat higherthan the said raised portion whereby bottles positioned near the edge ofsaid base will be tilted slightly t-oward the center of said base.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,923,428 2/ 1960 Averill 220-17X 2,928,530 3/ 1960 Sauey.

2,935,222 5/ 1960 OConnell 220-21 3,037,658 6/ 1962 Schray 220-173,203,583 8/ 1965 Amberg 229-25 X 3,240,378 3/1966 Fox 220-21 FOREIGNPATENTS 1,351,453 12/1963 France.

1,163,237 2/ 1964 Germany.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Examiner.

1. A CARRYING CASE FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION AONE-PIECE MOLDED OUTER SHELL HAVING A BOTTOM, SIDE WALLS, AND ANINWARDLY TURNED LIP EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM SAID SIDE WALLS, A REMOVABLEBOTTLE POSITIONING INSERT INSIDE SAID OUTER SHELL HAVING A BASE, APLURALITY OF UPWARDLY PROJECTING POST-LIKE PORTIONS INTEGRAL WITH SAIDBASE, SPACED AT REGULAR INTERVALS, THE UPPER EXTREMITIES OF SAIDPROJECTIONS ADJACENT WHT OUTER EDGE OF SAID BASE ENGAGING THE UNDERSIDEOF SAID INWARDLY TURNED LIP, WHEREBY SAID INSERT IS RETAINED IN SAIDOUTER SHELL.